{{Short description|Canadian politician (1942–2021)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Richard Patten | riding = Ottawa Centre | parliament = Ontario Provincial | term_start1 = June 8, 1995 | term_end1 = October 10, 2007 | predecessor1 = Evelyn Gigantes | successor1 = Yasir Naqvi | term_start2 = September 10, 1987 | term_end2 = September 6, 1990 | predecessor2 = Evelyn Gigantes | successor2 = Evelyn Gigantes | party = Liberal | birth_date = {{birth date|1942|05|13}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|12|30|1942|05|13}} | death_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | occupation = YMCA Manager }}
'''Richard Andrew Patten''' (May 13, 1942 – December 30, 2021) was a Canadian politician. Patten was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990 and again from 1995 to 2007. He represented the riding of Ottawa Centre. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.
==Personal life== Patten was educated at Sir George Williams University in Montreal. He worked as a manager with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), and served as President of the ''Canadian Council for International Cooperation''. Patten sat on an NGO advisory committee to the World Bank while with the CCIC. He died on December 30, 2021, at the age of 79.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Former Ottawa Centre MPP Richard Patten dead at 79|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/former-ottawa-centre-mpp-richard-patten-dead-at-79|access-date=2022-01-01|work=Ottawa Citizen|language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-12-31|title=Former Ottawa MPP Richard Patten dead at 79|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/former-ottawa-mpp-richard-patten-dead-at-79/|access-date=2022-01-01|work=CTV News Ottawa|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://necrocanada.com/obituaries-2021/richard-andrew-patten-thursday-december-30th-2021/|title=Richard Andrew Patten Thursday December 30th 2021, death notice, Canada|date=31 December 2021}}</ref>
==Politics== In the 1987 provincial election, Patten ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa Centre. He defeated incumbent New Democrat Evelyn Gigantes by just over 2,000 votes.<ref name="1987 Election Results">{{cite news |title=Results from individual ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 11, 1987 |page=F2}}</ref> The Liberal party won the election and Patten was appointed Minister of Government Services.<ref name="1987PetCab">{{cite news |title=Wrye gets new cabinet job |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 29, 1987 |page=A1}}</ref> In August 1989 he was shuffled to Minister of Correctional Services.<ref name="1989PetCab">{{cite news |title=Veterans bear load as 8 ministers cut in Peterson shuffle |last=Allen |first=Gene |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=August 3, 1989 |page=A1}}</ref>
In the 1990 provincial election Patten was defeated by his NDP rival Gigantes.<ref name="1990 Election Results">{{cite news |title=Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 7, 1990 |page=A12}}</ref> For the next five years, Patten served as President and CEO of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation, doing extensive fund-raising work for the organization.
In 1995 provincial election Patten campaigned against Gigantes once again this time defeating her by 1,700 votes.<ref name="1995 Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=ottawa+centre&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 8, 1995 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316080534/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=ottawa+centre&flag=E&layout=G |archivedate=March 16, 2014 }}</ref> The Progressive Conservatives won the election, and Patten joined 29 other Liberals in the opposition. He attempted to mobilize a campaign for the party's leadership in 1996, but failed in this effort and subsequently supported Dwight Duncan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Conway pulls plug on bid for leadership of Liberals |first=Greg |last=Crone |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=January 31, 1996 |page=A2}}</ref> When Duncan was eliminated after the third ballot, he endorsed Dalton McGuinty, the eventual winner.<ref>{{cite news |title=Surprising McGuinty emerges from chaos |first1=Carolyn |last1=Abraham |first2=Richard |last2=Brennan |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=December 2, 1996 |page=A1}}</ref>
In the 1999 provincial election, Patten was re-elected over Progressive Conservative Ray Kostuch and New Democrat Elisabeth Arnold.<ref name="1999 Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=ottawa+centre&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 3, 1999}}</ref> The Progressive Conservatives again won the election, and Patten remained in opposition.<ref name=PetProjects/> Patten was treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during this parliament.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPP with cancer questions long delays for treatment; Tells Legislature of 9-week wait for CAT scan |last=Boyle |first=Theresa |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=June 26, 2001 |page=A06}}</ref>
The Liberals won the 2003 election and he was re-elected again by over 10,000 votes.<ref name=PetProjects/><ref name="2003 Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=ottawa+centre&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 2, 2003}}</ref><ref name=retire/> During this session he served as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Education, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade and to Premier Dalton McGuinty. Patten maintained a strong interest in the CHEO and devoted legislative efforts towards the centre's operations.<ref name=PetProjects>{{cite news |title=Patten to pursue pet projects |first1=Erin |last1=Conway-Smith |first2=Candace |last2=Wilson |newspaper=Centretown News |date=10 October 2003}}</ref>
On 14 March 2007, Patten announced he would not seek re-election in the upcoming election, preferring to focus on work with the CHEO Foundation.<ref name=retire>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-mpp-patten-to-retire-from-politics-1.685606 |title=Ottawa MPP Patten to retire from politics |publisher=CBC News |date=14 March 2007 |accessdate=2014-05-27}}</ref>
===Cabinet positions=== {{s-start}} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=David_Peterson}} {{ministry box cabinet posts | post2preceded = David Ramsay | post2 = Minister of Correctional Services | post2years = 1989–1990 | post2note = | post2followed = Mike Farnan
| post1preceded = Sean Conway | post1 = Minister of Government Services | post1years = 1987–1989 | post1note = | post1followed = Chris Ward }} {{s-end}}
==Electoral record== {{2003 Ontario general election/Ottawa Centre}} {{1999 Ontario general election/Ottawa Centre}} {{1995 Ontario general election/Ottawa Centre}} {{1990 Ontario general election/Ottawa Centre}} {{1987 Ontario general election/Ottawa Centre}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Ontario MPP biography|id=richard-patten}}
{{Peterson Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patten, Richard}} Category:1942 births Category:2021 deaths Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Canadian Unitarians Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Category:Politicians from Montreal Category:Politicians from Ottawa Category:Sir George Williams University alumni Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario